More than ever, Disney is like the huge Imperial starship that emerges after the opening crawl of 1977’s original “Star Wars,” looming over the pop-culture galaxy.

Anything and everything Mickey Mouse will be on tap this weekend at D23 Expo (Friday through Sunday) in Anaheim, California, the biennial all-Disney, all-the-time festival that features panels and presentations for what’s coming at theme parks, the new Disney+ streaming service (launching Nov. 12) and, of course, the A-list movie slate.

Chief among the upcoming films is “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (in theaters Dec. 20), the ninth and final episode in the Skywalker saga, and fans will be ravenous for any news to come out of that part of the Disney movie presentation on Saturday.

Listen to this week's episode of USA TODAY's podcast, The Mothership, to hear the latest on Disney +, "The Mandalorian","Black Panther 2" and "The Rise of Skywalker".

It’s a lot, for sure. But “Star Wars” is still “Star Wars,” and the braintrust is certain to deliver some goodness between “The Rise of Skywalker” and “The Mandalorian,” the upcoming Western-tinged “Star Wars” series that’ll showcase a new trailer at Friday's Disney+ panel.

Here are five things ”Star Wars” fans need to know going into D23:

J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy took the stage at Star Wars Celebration and will probably do so again at D23 Expo this weekend.(Photo: ROB GRABOWSKI/INVISION/AP)

Who’s going to be there?

“Star Wars” wasn’t at Comic-Con last month so the Force will be out in, well, force at D23. J.J. Abrams and executive producer/Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy will probably be there for “The Rise of Skywalker,” plus new trilogy heroes Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are convention regulars at this point. For the Disney+ lineup, executive producer Jon Favreau is expected for “The Mandalorian,” and there could be surprise appearances for a couple other projects: Diego Luna stars in the upcoming Cassian Andor “Rogue One” prequel series, and maybe this is where Ewan McGregor has a showstopping return for the rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi project.

C-3PO (Anthony Daniels, left), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) are in the heat of battle in "The Rise of Skywalker."(Photo: LUCASFILM LTD.)

Is there going to be a new movie trailer?

Let’s be honest, “Star Wars” fans were ready for a new “Rise of Skywalker” trailer immediately after the first one played in April at Star Wars Celebration. They’ll most likely have to wait a little longer, though: The 2015 “Force Awakens” panel at Comic-Con and 2017 “The Last Jedi” presentation at D23 both unveiled really neat behind-the-scenes sizzle reels for their respective movies, and that’ll likely be the case this time, too. However, even a video showing glimpses of new things – aliens, planets and such – without giving too much away is welcome to the Jedi faithful.

Reuniting with old pal J.J. Abrams, Keri Russell plays a mysterious new character in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."(Photo: Valerie Macon, AFP/Getty Images)

What’s up with Keri Russell’s mystery woman?

While the actress’ scoundrel Zorri Bliss didn’t appear in the initial “Rise of Skywalker” trailer, a first look at the character – and her rad Rocketeer-meets-Met Gala helmet – had fandom psyched in May. Of the new characters, she’s so far the biggest enigma of them all – and it’s hard to imagine Abrams signing on his old “Felicity” star as some random side player, especially in a movie that culminates 40-plus years of storytelling. Maybe Russell shows up to give us a hint of her role. Heck, we’ll take a glimpse of her just sauntering around in behind-the-scenes footage.

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Enjoy the first photos from "Star Wars: Episode IX" (in theaters Dec. 20), which now has a title: "The Rise of Skywalker." The photos and title were revealed as part of Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. This one carries extra emotion, as it shows the late Carrie Fisher (right) as General Leia Organa hugging Rey (Daisy Ridley). LUCASFILM LTD.

As "Star Wars" unveiled a trailer, photos and title for December's much-awaited "Episode IX," fans enjoyed Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, with these two dressed as Kylo Ren and Rey. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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Are Luke Skywalker and the Emperor hanging out now or what?

Two things in the first trailer spawned goosebumps for old-school fans: voiceover narration by Jedi master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and a piece of the Death Star followed by the evil laugh of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Now, both of these characters are thought to be dead – Luke drifted off into the Force in “The Last Jedi” and the Emperor got tossed into a reactor in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” – and while all the cards won’t get flipped over, a couple of nuggets on their involvement in the new film will keep folks salivating through December.

The title gunfighter (Pedro Pascal) finds himself in a bad way in "The Mandalorian," the first "Star Wars" live-action series.(Photo: FRANCOIS DUHAMEL/LUCASFILM)

What’s the future of 'Star Wars' going forward?

Of all the burning questions surrounding this humongous franchise, it’s the most scorching: As of right now, there are no movies officially in place once the Skywalker saga ends. The D23 presentation probably won’t delve into the two planned film series, one from “Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson and the other courtesy of “Game of Thrones” duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, though at least fans have “Mandalorian” and the streaming shows. Marvel has been clear that it's sending a lot of interesting projects to Disney+ to build out the universe, and perhaps “Star Wars” follows suit.

The prequels brought a mix of new characters and younger actors playing favorites to the "Star Wars" universe, including new Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Lucasfilm

A battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Maul is one of the film's most famous scenes, set to John Williams' "Duel of the Fates." Qui-Gon doesn't make it, and Obi-Wan takes over Anakin's training. Lucasfilm

Worried that Padme, who is pregnant with Luke and Leia during the entirety of this film, will die in childbirth, Anakin turns to the Chancellor, who will become the Emperor, for help. Eventually he fully gives in to the Dark Side in order to save her, and murders many of his fellow Jedi. Lucasfilm